WORM REGULARLY Worming your dog throughout its lifetime is important, and you should talk to your vet about a suitable worming programme for your puppy at the earliest opportunity. Regular worming not only protects your dog’s health, but helps to prevent the spread of infection and potentially hazardous health risks to other animals and humans too. Worm infections carried by your dog do not always display obvious symptoms, so an adequate treatment schedule is vital. Worming treatment should have been carried out prior to you receiving your puppy and if this is the case the breeder should have provided you with a record of this. Do discuss this with your own veterinary surgeon. Dogs can appear healthy even when they have worm infections. Detecting an infection can be tricky, particularly as worm eggs are too small to be easily visible in your pet's faeces. In addition, your dog may be more at risk from some worm infections than others depending on where you live. It is therefore extremely important to keep your dog’s treatment regular and up-to-date. Always check with your vet before initiating a worming regime. This way you can be confident that you are using the most appropriate products, and following the best treatment for the needs of your dog and family. How Often Should You Worm? All animals are at risk from acquiring worm infections. However some animals will be at higher risk than others depending on factors such as their lifestyle and area in which you live. Children are at increased risk of disease from worms; if you have a young family or your dog often comes into contact with children, you should pay particular attention to regular worming. Again, always consult with your vet with regard to the most appropriate treatment schedule.Control Check List As well as following a worming plan following consultation with your vet, there are also many other practical things you can do to help prevent the spread of worm infections among your pets and family. These are as follows:

'Poop scooping' - make sure you pick up your dog's faeces immediately on a walk and remove it from the lawn or surrounding outdoor environment daily - bag it, and put it in designated poop bins, burn it or flush it down the toilet

Throw away any food dropped on the floor / ground rather than eating it

Cover children's sandpits when not in use

Travelling Pets There are specific parasitic worms to which your pet may be exposed to on visiting countries outside the UK. Two notable worms are Heartworm (Dirofilaria immitis), transmitted by a mosquito bite, which could be fatal in your dog if not prevented, and one type of Tapeworm (Echinococcus multilocularis), which can cause serious and fatal disease in people. If you are intending to travel with your dog, you should talk to your vet in plenty of time to establish the best worming regime to ensure the protection of both your dog's health and that of your family. For further information about what you need to do before, during, and after travel abroad with your dog, refer to the Pet Travel Scheme guidelines on the DEFRA website, www.defra.gov.uk/wildlife-pets/pets/travel. The Kennel Club aims to promote the health, happiness and general wellbeing of all dogs, and to provide you with an invaluable resource for every aspect of life with your dog. To find out more, visit us today at www.thekennelclub.org.uk

VaccinationsAdvice

There are a number of common infectious diseases that dogs
are susceptible to throughout their entire life. Some of these diseases are life
threatening and young puppies are particularly vulnerable, so It is vitally
important that your puppy is vaccinated against them at a young age. Further vaccination is essential to ensure
that your puppy continues to be healthy and happy throughout its entire life.
First
vaccinations
Your puppy can receive its first vaccination from
approximately eight weeks of age, although this can vary depending
on the normal practice of your vet. Your vet will start your puppy on a course
of vaccinations against the four main infectious diseases:
Canine Distemper, Hepatitis, Parvovirus and Leptospirosis.

All of these diseases can be fatal so after its first
course of vaccinations, your puppy will need booster vaccinations according to
your vet’s advice.Once a puppy is vaccinated, the vet will issue a
vaccination certificate showing a record of exactly when the puppy was
vaccinated and which product was used. This should be kept safe as you may need to show them at boarding kennels,
dog-training classes or if you take your dog abroad. It is also useful should
you change your vet and he may recommend a slightly different regime, and it
will be useful to see what vaccination your puppy has had in the past,
Until your puppy is fully vaccinated, you should not
take it anywhere where it might come into contact with dogs or ground that may
be infected. However, puppies are most receptive to new environments and
situations at this age, so keeping them confined to your house and garden can
be counter productive. In order to continue your puppy’s socialisation
programme during these important first weeks at home, you should take your
puppy out to different places in your arms or the car to get it used to
different situations and noises, as well as letting it meet new people.
Further details on socialisation is available in the
Kennel Club “Puppy Plan” which can be viewed at www.thepuppyplan.com